The Palmetto State is extremely territorial. There are South Carolina areas and Clemson areas that normally follow party lines when it comes to recruiting. The Gameocks have shaken that standard up with the likes of Marcus Lattimore of late. However, the Tigers have countered with a tremendous influence in the state of Florida.

That said, the Carolinas will always be key for Clemson recruiting, and that is obviously not lost on Dabo Swinney. The Tigers signed 15 players (11 from South Carolina, four from North Carolina) from the two states, including two of the top six in each state. There were 13 nationally rated prospects from the Carolinas this cycle and Clemson inked four of them.

The top-rated player in this class, Travis Blanks, comes to Clemson from the Sunshine State and only further indicates the Tigers' power in the talent-rich state of Florida. Swinney also signed two from New York, including the top player in the state (quarterback Chad Kelly). One each from Tennessee and Arkansas round out the 20-man haul.

Areas of Focus:

First and foremost, Swinney did an outstanding job of getting nearly half of his class to enroll early. Missing the senior prom or graduation might be a tough pill to swallow for 17-year-olds and parents, but for football fans, having nearly half of a top-20 recruiting class participate in spring practice is invaluable. The Tigers enrolled eight prospects in January, and by the time summer camp opens, they will be nearly sophomores.

More importantly was who enrolled. The offensive line class for Clemson was outstanding as Swinney focused on restocking his offensive front. Four of his five OL signees are already on campus, working in the weight room and learning the play calls, including both nationally rated prospects Jay Guillermo and Patrick DeStefano. DeStefano has the bloodlines to be a great ACC player as his father played at Duke in the late '70s, while Guillermo is listed as the No. 1 center prospect in the nation by the mothership. Prep school tackle Isaiah Battle should be prepared to contribute early on as well after a year at Blue Ridge School.

Additionally, the top-rated player in this class, defensive back Travis Blanks, is also already enrolled in class. One of the top defensive backs in the state of Florida leads a deep secondary class that could feature four safeties. Blanks missed some time due to injury as a senior but proved he could be a playmaker all over the field with 104 tackles on defense to go with 35 receptions and eight touchdowns on offense as a junior. This is an incredibly versatile group, so don't be surprised if one or more end up at linebacker or even wide receiver.

Speaking of wide receiver, the No. 2-rated player in this class is wideout Germone Hopper. The dynamic all-purpose player rushed for over 4,000 yards and 50 scores in his prep career — finishing as Philip O. Berry's all-time leading rusher. He also could make a big impact on special teams as a kick and punt return specialist.

Getting him — and all of those other stellar current Clemson wideouts — the ball will be the nephew of a Hall of Famer. The No. 6-rated quarterback in the entire nation, Chad Kelly, has former Buffalo Bills' four-time Super Bowl starter Jim Kelly as an uncle. The dual-threat tore up the Empire State to the tune of 3,050 yards passing, 991 yards rushing and 41 total touchdowns. He led his team to back-to-back state championships and will be a perfect fit for coordinator Chad Morris' spread scheme.

New defensive coordinator Brent Venables should also be exicted about the incoming defensive line class. Big nose tackle Carlos Watkins, after 29 sacks over his final two prep seasons, spearheads a solid five-man D-Line group. Nationally rated end Shaq Lawson is the top edge rusher after 199 tackles — including 23 tackles for a loss in 2011 — and 22 sacks over his final two high school seasons. Massive early enrollee Kevin Dodd (6-5, 280) adds immediate depth. This is a powerful fivesome that should help rebuild the Tigers defensive line in short order.

Running back Zac Brooks, who played all over the offense at Jonesboro High, is listed as the lone running back in this class.

College Football For the moment college football has forgotten about college football in a mad dash forward to appease a small group of the viewing public and more importantly to make television advertisers happy....

College Football, Fantasy As we turn our calendars over to August, the college fantasy football season is kicking into high gear. Are you prepared? Athlon has teamed up with college fantasy veterans...

College Football, Overtime Michigan State is always among the elite in college football and this year shouldn't be any different. Adam Schultz created an awesome hype video for the Spartans and if it's any...

College Football, Overtime Some people dread the weight room. Tennessee football players can't wait to go. The Volunteers made their "Night Lift" look like the 40/40 Club, completely with a DJ and neon...

College Football The Jordan Stevenson sweepstakes ended on Thursday when the former South Oak Cliff (Texas) High School running back was academically cleared to enroll at Nebraska. The recruiting win for...

College Football, Overtime Who says fans of rival teams can't make it work? Ohio State and Michigan are now bonded for life in some sort. Stephanie and Mike Stout took their wedding photos in the famous tunnel...

College Football, News The one-game suspension of four potential starters for Ohio State has slightly altered the outlook for the opener against Virginia Tech. The Buckeyes won’t need any reminder about how...

College Football Heading into the 2014 season, speculation about what life after AJ McCarron would bring for Alabama lingered around Tuscaloosa and the SEC like early-morning humidity in the South. While All-...

College Football With a 6-7 record last season, the Miami Hurricanes have more than a few things to work on during fall camp in August. Here is a look at five of the biggest and how Al Golden's team can...

College Football There have been 78 Heisman Trophies given out to 77 different players and only three times has the award gone to an ACC representative. On each of those occasions, a Florida State quarterback was...

NFL, News NFL training camps are opening up all across the nation, signaling the official return of pro football. Athlon Sports is going division by division, asking and (trying to) answering the biggest...

NFL, News The Pittsburgh Steelers are an enigma entering the 2015 NFL season. They would appear to be a team on the rise after an 11-5 regular season record and winning the toughest division in the league....

College Football Ohio State announced today that four key players would miss the Sept. 7 season opener against Virginia Tech. While it’s a big enough news story in and of itself, especially since one of the...

College Football On Thursday the Tennessee Volunteers landed running back Carlin Fils-Aime in a big head-to-head recruiting battle that included North Carolina, Miami, Auburn, and Georgia down the stretch. The...

College Football, News Ohio State will begin its national title defense without a couple of key players. According to a release from the school, defensive end Joey Bosa and receivers Corey Smith, Dontre Wilson and Jalin...

College Football, Overtime Ohio State's band is hot water following a report of a songbook making fun of Holocaust victims. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, a book by the famous band includes a...

College Football Arizona State is now part of the adidas family. adidas is now the official partner of the Pac-12 and the Sun Devils are the beneficiaries of some pretty sweet new uniforms. Their partnership...